After a dismal Raw Extreme Rules PPV we look to Smackdown to pick up the ball again and give fans a great show. Here’s hoping it happens.
Women’s money in the back match:
To catch attention right off the top the show begins with the women’s MITB ladder match. A first ever which has high expectations from everyone watching.
As the intros happen there is a nice vignette paying tribute to past women wrestlers. A little out of place as most entrances are shown and then Natalya gets cut out. Overall not too bad of an idea.
The match started quick and with some good ladder play. While there was some hesitation (probably to protect everyone involved), it was decent to get going. The only thing missing was the continuation of the “Welcoming Committee” storyline as there were no alliances at all.
The match had some big bumps and some of the traditional ladder match falls. However, the finish seemed rushed, the match short and the interference of James Ellsworth just made it lose the hype that it should have had. In the end Ellsworth climbed the ladder and handed Carmella the briefcase. He then announced Carmella as the winner while the referees were still arguing about the legality of it all. Very anticlimactic for what should have been a great first in wrestling.
New Day vs The Usos : Tag Titles:
Two well established teams facing one another. It started well and continued for the bulk of the match. The two teams play well off one another and had a good back and forth match. Kudos to Kofi Kingston for the huge bump he took going over the top rope to the floor and then for the countless times after that he was tossed outside the ring.
After some amazing moves and some great high flying action the Usos took their belts and ran away. New Day wins via count out but Usos keep the titles.
Naomi vs Lana – women’s championship:
This was thought of as the sleeper match. Lana has next to no ring experience and isn’t taken seriously as a wrestler at all. Fans still like her look and she is certainly showing some strength as she goes.
Lana actually dominated the early stages of the match showing she has learned some in ring maneuvers. She did show some inexperience with her hesitation to go from one move to the next. I don’t think chain wrestling will be in her near future.
As Lana’s repertoire was nearing an end Carmella made a grand entrance to tease her MITB briefcase and provide a distraction. Naomi was able to reverse Lana’s next move and get a submission win over the Ravishing Russian.
Overall this was a bit of a surprise to fans watching. Even if the crowd didn’t sound like they were into it.
*Fashion Files filler to lead to a match later.
* Mike and Maria Kinellas have arrived in WWE to teach the world about love. I’m already not interested. To be honest, I’ve never gotten into Mike Bennett aka Kinellas.
*introduction to AWA legends including Cowboy Bob Orton.
Jinder Mahal vs Randy Orton -heavyweight title:
People are starting to accept Jinder Mahal as a true champion. He came out to full crowd reactions fitting for someone “established”.
The match was slow but deliberate. There was no wasted motion and it seemed to be the style that suited both men. Jinder seemed to dominate the bulk of the match and in an odd homage to the legends at ringside he seemed to be doing moves to pay tribute to them. Some successful and some not.
In the end the Singh brothers proved to be a distraction as they were destroyed ringside by Orton it gave Mahal time to recover and take advantage of the distraction to get the win.
Breezango vs The Ascension:
So this was a dark match filler to give time between the championship match and the main event.
It was nice to see the Ascension again as they have basically been forgotten it seems. However, in very short order Breezango snuck out a victory after being dominated by the dark lords.
Money in the Bank:
Baron Corbin started MITB before the bell even began by taking out Nakamura during his entrance. He then demanded the match begin and showed strong for the first few minutes.
The match did not disappoint. It was back and forth with everyone having a chance to grab the case. Kevin Owens took a couple big bumps leading to a rumour of him getting injured. With Corbin being the last man standing and about to climb the ladder Nakamura made a grand return to freshen the fight and bring the audience to a new level.
Nakamura took everyone out of the match one by one with high energy and high impact moves. With ladder in place Nakamura and AJ Styles came face to face for a long time reunion from times in Japan. The two men traded blows going back and forth and even climbing the ladder as they did so. However, Baron Corbin, who made an impact at the very beginning dumped the two men and was able to climb the ladder himself and get the briefcase. Mr. Money in the Bank is Baron Corbin. A title reign for him will be coming soon.
Overall the fans were well invested and were entertained for their money. It was a PPV that was fairly well done with little let down and some nice surprises. Based on the number of advertisements for Raw’s next show Great Balls of Fire, I feel they are nervous of having another failure. Until then, we will see what develops.
Wrestling Writer 